A GROUP of women organising a charity masquerade ball for Marie Curie have been overwhelmed by the support and donations they have received since thieves stole bottles of fizz they had bought for the event.

Earlier this month, the six Clayton fundraisers suffered a setback when the 36 bottles of Cava stored in a locked garage were stolen, despite being in bottle carriers clearly marked with the charity's name.

But Eileen Slater, 60, of Pentland Avenue, whose garage had been used to store the fizz, said the group were more determined than ever to make the ball a success.

Just a few weeks later, they have received more than 70 bottles of Champagne, Cava and Prosecco, donated by kind-hearted Telegraph & Argus readers, and they have already reached their £3,000 fundraising target.

Tickets for the event, which is being held at Bradford's Ukranian Club in Legrams Lane, this Saturday, are also sold out.

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Mrs Slater, whose husband Gerry died 18 months ago, aged 61, after bowel cancer spread to other parts of his body, said: "It's exploded with everybody saying they saw it in the paper. People have been so kind.

"I've had bottles delivered to my house, left at work, and some to the Marie Curie hospice.

"It went a little bit viral - but has just been amazing. People have also been donating cash, bottles of spirits and gift vouchers - things we can use as raffle prizes, and we are also going to have a tombola now, simply because of the number of gifts people have donated."

Mrs Slater, a community sister, and the other women that make up the group, had already been fundraising through raffles, selling cupcakes, and a clothes swap, among other things, in order to put on the masquerade ball. They had only bought the Cava, worth around £300, a few days before it was stolen.

Since the theft, more people have also got involved with knitting Easter bunnies and baking cakes to sell.

Liz Howlett, Marie Curie fundraising manager for Yorkshire, praised the group, saying: “The steely determination of these volunteers to carry on regardless of these circumstances is just fantastic. We’re so appreciative of the amazing work our fundraising groups do up and down the country in raising much needed vital funds for Marie Curie.”

To help boost the group's fundraising efforts, donations can be made online at justgiving.com/Eileen-Slater1.